The young son of a Florida woman who cops say was killed by ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz in a car crash went to bed with tears in his eyes after his father broke the horrible news to him.
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"He asked me why Mommy wasn't going to come home; why Mommy was in the grass and who's going to take care of him," the unshaven and teary-eyed father said yesterday on the doorstep of his suburban Fort Lauderdale home. "She was a good mother and a great wife."
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A bartender at the Blue Martini confirmed Leyritz had been in the place with two women.

"He came in and had a few [mixed] drinks. I think he had two," said the bartender, who would only give his name as Ray. Ray said he has served Leyritz before, adding, "He doesn't get plastered. He'll have a few drinks and switch to water."

“If Roger Clemens continues to play fast and loose with the truth on ‘60 Minutes’ and he continues to call Brian McNamee a liar then we will proceed with a defamation suit,” [McNamee attorney Richard D.] Emery said in a telephone interview. “It is one of the only avenues Brian has to defend himself against the claims that he lied.”

To date, Clemens has disputed McNamee through statements issued through his agent, through [his attorney, Rusty] Hardin and through a video he posted on the Internet. Clemens did not call McNamee a liar in any of those statements, although in the video he specifically states that McNamee never injected him with steroids or H.G.H.

Hardin confirmed that an interview between Clemens and Wallace was taped at Clemens’s home in Katy, Tex., on Friday.

“I think I’ll let the interview speak for itself,” Hardin said in a telephone interview. “We will wait for it to air on January the 6th but my advice to Brian and his lawyers would be to stay tuned because he told Mike Wallace the truth.”

Leyritz, who turned 44 on Thursday, faces charges of DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage, said Detective Kathy Collins, Fort Lauderdale police spokeswoman.
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Fort Lauderdale authorities got a call at 3:20 a.m. that a crash had occurred in the city's entertainment district, Collins said.

She said Leyritz was driving a 2006 Ford Expedition when he collided at an intersection with a 30-year-old woman driving a 2000 Mitsubishi. The woman was ejected from the car. She was critically injured and transported to the Broward General Medical Center, where she died, Collins said. Her identity was not immediately released.

"On Roger's behalf, we are investigating the allegations about him contained in the Mitchell Report," Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, said Wednesday in a statement. "To our surprise, we have identified several people who logic dictates the Mitchell team should have talked to but did not. That's troubling. We are asking questions and we encourage the news media to do the same."

“I would imagine probably I’ll get a call and maybe be invited to spring training again,” said Guidry, who has had a role with the Yankees every spring since his pitching career ended in 1988. “So I’ll just wait and see. If they don’t call, I won’t go. I’ve got to make sure that they want me to go.”

Below, we present the findings of the Mitchell report as a social network. Players are connected to the person who first introduced them to the Mitchell report's star witness, Mets batboy turned personal trainer Kirk Radomski. In some cases, players met Radomski directly; in other cases they are several degrees apart.

talked to several people in the Yankees organization today, and everyone expects Joba Chamberlain to be a starter. So don't worry about a change in plans. He should be in the rotation.

Heard this: If all goes well in spring training for the Yankees, Joba Chamberlain is likely to start next season in the Yankees' bullpen, as part of the team's effort to limit his innings. Chamberlain will go to spring training and, at the outset, prepare to pitch out of the rotation, along with five other rotation candidates: Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina and Ian Kennedy. Assuming that none of the other five has a physical or performance breakdown, Chamberlain would then open 2008 in the bullpen, as a set-up man, for at least the start of the season -- under the Joba Rules.

The Yankees want to restrict the number of innings Chamberlain throws, and working him out of the bullpen for at least a couple of months will allow them to do that. Chamberlain may return to the rotation sometime in the middle of the season, depending on the Yankees' needs.

"We acknowledge the inaccuracies of the report and deeply regret the mistake," Times spokesman Stephan Pechdimaldji said.

In a separate two-page order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward C. Voss in Phoenix cited the newspaper for "abusive reporting" in its article that linked Clemens to the affidavit.

"At best, the article is an example of irresponsible reporting," Voss wrote. "At worst, the 'facts' reported were simply manufactured. ... Hopefully, any reference to the Times article as authoritative will now cease."

"When this grossly inaccurate story broke in October 2006, Roger said it was untrue and the Los Angeles Times chose not to believe him. As the record now clearly proves, Roger was telling the truth then, just as he continues to tell the truth today.

"Roger Clemens did not take steroids, and anybody who says he did had better start looking for a hell of a good lawyer."

After hearing names like Alan Horne (left) and Jeff Marquez being tossed around as major league relief options, I asked Newman if there were any pitchers designated as possible relievers. His answer, in short, was that anyone and everyone is a bullpen possiblity. ...

I brought up Horne, Marquez, Steven White, Kei Igawa and Chase Wright as bullpen options and Newman didn't shoot down any of them.

“I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life. Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take.

I am disappointed that my 25 years in public life have apparently not earned me the benefit of the doubt, but I understand that Senator Mitchell’s report has raised many serious questions. I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way. I only ask that in the meantime people not rush to judgment.”

Both have expressed "preliminary interest" in Prior, John Boggs, the pitcher's agent, said yesterday. "But it hasn't been anything more than that. Next week will probably be pretty busy."

“I am glad that he did that, maybe I would have done the same thing, God knows. I want to help the team as quick as I can," said Rivera, who said he has never thought of using HGH and admitted to being naïve about baseball's drug culture. “It was the wrong thing to do but I support Andy and the way he works and how hard he works. I am glad he said that. We all make mistakes. We don't point fingers at other people, I don't think like that. I love Andy and I support Andy's decision. The thing that I admire about him is that he came out and said he was sorry and that he did it."

Rivera and the Yankees formally finalized a three-year agreement worth a reported $45 million on Monday. The pact will keep Rivera, a Yankee since 1995 and the most dominant postseason closer of all-time, in New York.

"It's great," Rivera said. "That's what I wanted. To me, it was important to finish with the Yankees, because that's the only team that I have played with. I wanted to wrap it up with the Yankees, and we were able to do it. The Yankees and I got to the agreement, and thank God it's done."

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change.
1. Joba Chamberlain, RHP, Grade A
2. Jose Tabata, OF, Grade B+
3. Ian Kennedy, RHP, Grade B+
4. Alan Horne, RHP, Grade B
5. Austin Jackson, OF, Grade B-
6. Bradley Suttle, 3B, Grade B-
7. Dellin Betances, RHP, Grade B-
8. Austin Romine, C, Grade B- (hate grading guys who haven't played yet, could be C+)
9. Jesus Montero, C, Grade C+ (borderline B-)
10. Dan McCutchen, RHP, Grade C+

Grade A prospects are the elite. They have a good chance of becoming stars or superstars. Almost all Grade A prospects develop into major league regulars, if injuries or other problems don't intervene. Note that is a major "if" in some cases.

Grade B prospects have a good chance to enjoy successful careers. Some will develop into stars, some will not. Most end up spending several years in the majors, at the very least in a marginal role.

Grade C prospects are the most common type. These are guys who have something positive going for them, but who may have a question mark or three, or who are just too far away from the majors to get an accurate feel for. A few Grade C guys, especially at the lower levels, do develop into stars. Many end up as role players or bench guys. Some don't make it at all.

A major point to remember is that grades for pitchers do NOT correspond directly to grades for hitters. Many Grade A pitching prospects fail to develop, often due to injuries. Some Grade C pitching prospects turn out much better than expected.

Also note that there is diversity within each category. I'm a tough grader; Grade C+ is actually good praise coming from me, and some C+ prospects turn out very well indeed.

Finally, keep in mind that all grades are shorthand. You have to read the full comment for my full opinion about a player, the letter grade only tells you so much. A Grade C prospect in rookie ball could end up being very impressive, while a Grade C prospect in Triple-A is likely just a future role player.